* Devlog #1: Stay Awhile

Snakebit.exe started with a feeling.

I wanted to see if I could capture nostalgia with a simple game and give it a new twist.

I kept thinking about the family computer. How easy it was to lose an afternoon there, get up and go outside, then come back hours later to a screensaver drifting across the screen. The computer always felt like it was waiting for you.

That feeling stuck with me.

Snakebit.exe begins with something familiar. Swipe the snake around, eat, grow, get the high score. Players understand it almost immediately.

Then the machine starts to open up to you, slowly at first, then more persistent.

Stay while and you'll soon discover that there is more inside than the game you bargained for.

I deliberately hid messages, details, and little things throughout the experience that reward staying around and looking closer. The menus, pixel art, sounds, screensaver, and interface all belong to the experience.

I wanted the computer itself to feel like a familiar place, somewhere you could wander into for a few minutes, leave, and eventually feel pulled toward again. Curiosity keeps you there. Maybe there’s something you haven’t seen yet. Maybe something changes. Maybe you should click that.

It reminds me of being a kid at the computer, exploring seemingly aimlessly. You explored because using the computer was part of the fun.

That’s the feeling I wanted to put in your hand.

Snakebit.exe is available now on iOS.

Oh, and maybe don’t leave the screensaver running too long.